US8315548B2 - Cleaner assembly for moving and storing waste toner in an imaging apparatus using an auger disposed within a tube - Google Patents
Cleaner assembly for moving and storing waste toner in an imaging apparatus using an auger disposed within a tube Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US8315548B2 US8315548B2 US12/709,767 US70976710A US8315548B2 US 8315548 B2 US8315548 B2 US 8315548B2 US 70976710 A US70976710 A US 70976710A US 8315548 B2 US8315548 B2 US 8315548B2
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- waste toner
- tube
- storage container
- auger
- toner storage
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 173
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 title claims description 9
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000002991 molded plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007704 transition Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/10—Collecting or recycling waste developer
- G03G21/105—Arrangements for conveying toner waste
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/10—Collecting or recycling waste developer
- G03G21/12—Toner waste containers
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to an imaging apparatus, and particularly to a cleaner assembly that includes an auger, a drive shaft, and a waste toner storage container for moving and storing waste toner within a printer cartridge.
- toner is transferred from a developer roll to a photoconductive drum and then to an intermediate transfer belt.
- the toner that remains on the photoconductive drum is referred to as waste toner.
- waste toner It is desirable to remove the waste toner from the photoconductive drum.
- One way to remove the waste toner from the photoconductive drum is to use a cleaner blade. While the waste toner is being removed, the waste toner falls into a channel behind the photoconductive drum. However, the capacity of the channel may not be enough to accommodate the amount of the waste toner that is produced during life of the printer cartridge. This creates a need for a mechanism that moves the waste toner from the channel and stores the waste toner in a different storage area of the printer cartridge where more space is available.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of the auger/waste toner storage container design according to a prior art system explaining the mechanism to move the waste toner into the waste toner storage container. After the waste toner is removed from the photoconductive drum, the waste toner is guided into a channel 20 .
- a drive gear 24 attached to an auger 22 receives a driving force due to which the auger 22 is turned in a direction that pushes the waste toner towards the waste toner storage container 28 (movement of the waste toner shown by arrow 26 ). This creates sufficient room inside the channel 20 to receive a fresh supply of the waste toner from the photoconductive drum.
- a cleaner assembly for moving waste toner within a printer cartridge that includes an auger having a helical configuration and a waste toner storage container having an inlet and a tube mounted within the waste storage container.
- the tube may include a first end coupled to the inlet and a second end disposed above the first end in an upper portion of the waste storage container. At least a portion of the auger is disposed within the tube. In this way, waste toner moved by the auger is moved within the tube for subsequent storage within the waste storage container.
- the tube may include one or more perforations defined along a length of the tube for allowing the waste toner to exit the tube. Placement of the one or more perforations on the tube allows for a more even distribution of waste toner throughout the waste storage container.
- FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an auger and waste toner storage container design according to a prior system
- FIG. 2 illustrates general elements of one embodiment of an imaging apparatus according to the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a waste toner removal system and photoconductive drum of the imaging apparatus of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an auger, drive shaft and drive mechanism of the waste toner removal system of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cleaner assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a waste toner storage container of FIG. 5 ;
- FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are isometric views of one embodiment of a tube member of the waste toner storage container of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 8 illustrates waste toner distribution for the waste toner storage container according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 9 a - 9 c illustrate waste toner distribution at various stages of a fill cycle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 illustrates general elements of one embodiment of an imaging apparatus, such as a laser printer, according to the present invention.
- the imaging apparatus 100 includes a main body 102 with one or more replaceable image forming units 104 .
- the imaging apparatus 100 typically includes four image forming units 104 for printing with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner to produce a four-color image on a media sheet.
- each image forming unit 104 includes a developer section 106 and a photoconductive section 108 .
- Developer section 106 may form a toner cartridge and be separately replaceable relative to photoconductive section 108 . Toner is stored in the developer section 106 and is transferred to a photoconductive member 110 that is positioned within the photoconductive section 108 .
- Image formed by the toner on the photoconductive member 110 is then transferred to the media sheet which is moved relative to image forming units along a transport belt 112 .
- the image formed by the toner on the photoconductive member 110 is transferred to the media sheet via an intermediate transfer member or belt as part of a two step image transfer operation.
- toner that remains on the photoconductive member 110 is moved from the photoconductive section 108 through a waste toner removal system as shown in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 3 illustrates the waste toner removal system in association with photoconductive member 110 .
- a charge roll 116 and a developer roll 118 of photoconductive section 108 are also shown.
- Waste toner remaining on photoconductive member 110 following image transfer is removed by a cleaner blade 122 or in the alternative, the waste toner may be removed by a brush or other means well known in the art.
- the removed waste toner is collected in a channel 124 .
- An auger 126 moves the waste toner from the channel 124 to a waste toner storage container 140 ( FIG. 5 ).
- FIG. 4 illustrates a drive mechanism 128 for operating auger 126 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- the auger 126 has a helical configuration and is wrapped around a drive shaft 130 .
- Drive mechanism 128 is operatively coupled to the drive shaft 130 .
- the drive mechanism 128 includes a drive gear 132 , an idler gear 134 , and a photoconductive member drive 136 .
- the idler gear 134 connects the drive gear 132 and the photoconductive member drive 136 .
- the drive gear 132 is directly connected to the drive shaft 130 .
- drive shaft 130 is made from plastic and the auger 126 is made from metal wire.
- the metal wire auger 126 can operate while conforming to a bend as high as 90° or more, as long as the bend is gradual.
- the auger 126 is made from either a flat or a round metal wire and closely resembles a conventional compression spring.
- FIG. 5 illustrates elements of an exemplary embodiment of the cleaner assembly 138 according to the present invention.
- Cleaner assembly 138 includes the auger 126 , the drive shaft 130 , and the waste toner storage container 140 .
- the auger 126 extends between a proximal end 142 and a distal end 144 .
- the drive shaft 130 has a drive end 146 and an undriven end 148 .
- the proximal end 142 of the auger 126 is adjacent to the driven end 146 of the drive shaft 130 .
- the undriven end 148 of the drive shaft 130 terminates before the distal end 144 of the auger 126 enters into the waste toner storage container 140 through an inlet 160 ( FIG. 6 ).
- a curved portion of the auger 126 follows a tube 150 , mounted inside the waste toner storage container 140 , with little resistance to bending.
- the distal end 144 of the auger 126 is disposed within the tube 150 .
- the tube 150 extends between a first end 156 ( FIG. 6 ) and a second end 152 .
- the first end 156 of the tube 150 is attached to the waste toner storage container 140 and the second end 152 of the tube 150 extends to a point vertically above the inlet 160 ( FIG. 6 ) so that the waste toner exiting the tube 150 falls from an upper portion of waste toner storage container 140 towards the bottom, utilizing more space inside the waste toner storage container 140 .
- both ends of the tube 150 reside inside the waste toner storage container 140 .
- the shape of the tube 150 can vary depending on the application and the particular shape of waste toner storage container 140 .
- tube 150 is curved in a direction to effectively allow the auger 126 to fill the space inside the waste toner storage container 140 with the remaining toner.
- the mounting location of the tube 150 coincides with a center point of the exit portion of channel 124 into the waste toner storage container 140 so that the auger 126 extends from channel 124 to tube 150 with a substantially smooth transition.
- the tube 150 can be oriented to point the auger 126 towards the hardest to fill area of the waste toner storage container 140 . This reduces pressure on the auger 126 and the drive mechanism 128 by directing the waste toner towards the area inside the waste toner storage container 140 that is farthest away from the entry point of auger 126 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the auger 126 points towards a top corner of the waste toner storage container 140 , where the incoming waste toner will encounter less flow resistance than if it were directed straight into the waste toner storage container 140 as observed in prior waste toner collection systems.
- FIG. 6 illustrates another perspective view of the waste toner storage container 140 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- the waste toner storage container 140 includes a housing 154 that encloses the tube 150 . Further, the tube 150 includes perforations (or passages) 158 disposed along its length and periphery.
- FIGS. 7 a and 7 b illustrate isometric views of the tube 150 as an example of one embodiment according to the present invention.
- the tube 150 is formed by two half portions made from injection molded plastic.
- the tube 150 may have features on each side that hold the two halves together to form an enclosure around the auger 126 .
- the tube 150 includes the perforations 158 along its length and periphery.
- the perforations 158 in the tube 150 may be placed according to the shape of the waste toner storage container 140 ( FIG. 5 ) it is designed to fill.
- the perforations 158 in the tube 150 may extend around its entire periphery and along its length. In another embodiment, one or two perforations may be needed in a particular location to achieve the desired result. It is understood that the perforations 158 in the tube 150 may be any aperture and/or through-hole defined along the body of the tube 150 which are separate and distinct from the opening at each end of the tube 150 .
- FIG. 8 illustrates a fill pattern of waste toner within waste storage container 140 with the tube 150 being without any perforations 158 .
- the tube 150 does not allow the auger 126 disposed within the tube 150 to substantially evenly fill waste toner storage container 140 .
- the uppermost corners of the waste toner storage container 140 can be effectively filled. However, this may create a barrier for substantially filling a bottom portion of the waste toner storage container 140 .
- the waste toner 162 can create pressure around the entry point of the auger 126 into the waste toner storage container 140 when no tube 150 is present.
- FIGS. 9 a , 9 b , and 9 c illustrate a waste toner fill pattern with tube 150 having perforations 158 as described above.
- FIG. 9 a illustrates the toner distribution pattern at about the beginning of the waste toner fill cycle.
- FIG. 9 b illustrates waste toner distribution at about a mid point in the fill cycle, and
- FIG. 9 c illustrates the waste toner distribution near an end of the fill cycle.
- the perforations 158 in the tube 150 allow the waste toner to escape out of the tube 150 before the waste toner reaches the end 152 of the tube 150 .
- the waste toner passes through the perforations 158 until the level of the waste toner 162 inside the waste toner storage container 140 reaches the perforations 158 .
- the push of the auger 126 works to lightly compact the waste toner 162 around the perforation 158 thereby resulting in the perforation 158 effectively closing and being blocked. At this point, the waste toner 162 can no longer pass through the perforation 158 .
- the tube 150 thus functions as if the blocked perforation 158 does not exist. Waste toner moved by auger 126 continues to pass through the unblocked perforations 158 having higher elevations until the toner level rises to effectively close them. Eventually, the waste toner level in waste storage container 140 rises until all perforations 158 are blocked, thereby causing auger 126 to move waste toner from tube 150 through end 152 of tube 150 ( FIG. 9 b ). Waste toner subsequently collected continues to be discharged from tube 150 through end 152 until the upper portion of waste storage container 140 is substantially filled ( FIG. 9 c ).
- waste toner is efficiently stored.
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- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Cleaning In Electrography (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (14)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US12/709,767 US8315548B2 (en) | 2010-02-22 | 2010-02-22 | Cleaner assembly for moving and storing waste toner in an imaging apparatus using an auger disposed within a tube |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US12/709,767 US8315548B2 (en) | 2010-02-22 | 2010-02-22 | Cleaner assembly for moving and storing waste toner in an imaging apparatus using an auger disposed within a tube |
Publications (2)
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US20110206433A1 US20110206433A1 (en) | 2011-08-25 |
US8315548B2 true US8315548B2 (en) | 2012-11-20 |
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US12/709,767 Active 2030-10-24 US8315548B2 (en) | 2010-02-22 | 2010-02-22 | Cleaner assembly for moving and storing waste toner in an imaging apparatus using an auger disposed within a tube |
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Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20130223873A1 (en) * | 2012-02-27 | 2013-08-29 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
US9134687B1 (en) | 2014-03-18 | 2015-09-15 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Waste toner bottle for uniform distribution of residual toner from an image forming device |
US9488955B2 (en) | 2013-10-09 | 2016-11-08 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Device for connecting a centerless auger to a rotatable member |
US10386779B2 (en) | 2017-05-11 | 2019-08-20 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Waste toner system of an electrophotographic image forming device |
US11137699B1 (en) | 2020-06-01 | 2021-10-05 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Toner container having a reduced auger flight to accommodate bi-directional rotation of the auger |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120132311A1 (en) * | 2010-11-30 | 2012-05-31 | Pitas Jeffrey A | Waste collection tube having a living hinge |
US20120133074A1 (en) * | 2010-11-30 | 2012-05-31 | Pitas Jeffrey A | Method for making waste collection tube |
JP6318858B2 (en) * | 2014-05-27 | 2018-05-09 | 株式会社リコー | Powder conveying apparatus, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus |
JP6919245B2 (en) * | 2017-03-21 | 2021-08-18 | コニカミノルタ株式会社 | Image forming device |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH01136182A (en) * | 1987-11-24 | 1989-05-29 | Mita Ind Co Ltd | Cleaning device |
JPH05204281A (en) * | 1992-01-27 | 1993-08-13 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Residual toner recovering device |
US5708952A (en) * | 1995-07-26 | 1998-01-13 | Mita Industrial Co., Ltd. | Cleaning unit for an image-forming machine having a toner conveying mechanism |
US5933696A (en) * | 1996-11-30 | 1999-08-03 | Xerox Corporation | Photoreceptor with internal waste toner container |
US7167672B2 (en) * | 2005-02-22 | 2007-01-23 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Method and device for conveying waste toner in an image forming device |
US20100232852A1 (en) * | 2009-03-10 | 2010-09-16 | Kyocera Mita Corporation | Toner conveying mechanism, cleaning unit including the same, and image forming apparatus |
-
2010
- 2010-02-22 US US12/709,767 patent/US8315548B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH01136182A (en) * | 1987-11-24 | 1989-05-29 | Mita Ind Co Ltd | Cleaning device |
JPH05204281A (en) * | 1992-01-27 | 1993-08-13 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Residual toner recovering device |
US5708952A (en) * | 1995-07-26 | 1998-01-13 | Mita Industrial Co., Ltd. | Cleaning unit for an image-forming machine having a toner conveying mechanism |
US5933696A (en) * | 1996-11-30 | 1999-08-03 | Xerox Corporation | Photoreceptor with internal waste toner container |
US7167672B2 (en) * | 2005-02-22 | 2007-01-23 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Method and device for conveying waste toner in an image forming device |
US20100232852A1 (en) * | 2009-03-10 | 2010-09-16 | Kyocera Mita Corporation | Toner conveying mechanism, cleaning unit including the same, and image forming apparatus |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20130223873A1 (en) * | 2012-02-27 | 2013-08-29 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
US8953974B2 (en) * | 2012-02-27 | 2015-02-10 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image forming apparatus |
US9488955B2 (en) | 2013-10-09 | 2016-11-08 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Device for connecting a centerless auger to a rotatable member |
US9134687B1 (en) | 2014-03-18 | 2015-09-15 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Waste toner bottle for uniform distribution of residual toner from an image forming device |
US10386779B2 (en) | 2017-05-11 | 2019-08-20 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Waste toner system of an electrophotographic image forming device |
US11137699B1 (en) | 2020-06-01 | 2021-10-05 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Toner container having a reduced auger flight to accommodate bi-directional rotation of the auger |
Also Published As
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US20110206433A1 (en) | 2011-08-25 |
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